Filter



NOV. 8, 1932. A o, B WENDELN 1,887,052

FILTER v Filed March l2. 1929 abbmu Patented Nov. s, i932u UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l10111171513 B. 'WENDELN, OF NEDERLAND, TEXAS, A-SSIGNOR TO THE IPURE OIL COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF OHIO FILTER Application led Iarch 12, 1929. Serial No. 346345.

This invention relates to improvements in filters and has for its primary object the provision of improved means for removing solids from gases or vapors.

In the rening of oils frequent use is made of finely divided clays, such as fullers earth,`

for the purpose of removing from the oils certain undesirable compounds, particularly compounds which tend to discolor or to produce gum deposits in the oils. In accordance with certain refining methods the fullers earth is intimately mixed with the oil while the latter is in a heated'or vaporous condition for the purpose of securing polymerization reactions in the oil by-which the unde sirable compounds are taken out. After the oils have been so treated some difiic'ulty 'has been. encountered in removing ltherefrom the clay treating materials. It is therefore one. of the outstanding objects of the invention to providev an improved filter in which is embodied a screen element into which the combined oil vapors and treating materials are passed, the construction of the screen element being such `as to permit the oil vapors to pass readily therethrough but the interstices of the screen element are such as to obstruct or prevent the passage of the solids therethrough, provision being made for the collection of the solids and their separate withdrawal from the filter as regards the clay free oil vapors.

It is another object of the invention to maintain the oil vapors at a temperature sufiiciently high to maintain the fullers earth, or other treating solids, in a substantially dry condition in order that the'clay materials, after striking the screen element will drop by gravity therefrom into a conveniently arranged collecting zone.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the desciption'proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations V4of elements and arrangements of parts hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a lilter formed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-'2 of Figure 1,

Referring more particularly to the drawing the filter illustrated therein which, it will be understood, constitutes but one form of the invention, comprises a casing l of cyllndrlcal formation and of substantially uniform diameter throughout its length or height. The

upper end of the casing is closed by a crowned cover plate 2, while the lower end of the casing is closed by a similarly formed bottom plate 3. Arranged within the casing is a screen element 4. This screen element consists preferably of a double cone shaped body having its largest diameter at a position intermediate of its ends.

Structurally the screen element comprises an outer metallic shell 5 which may be formed from l/L inch sheet metal plate and is provided, for example, with a plurality of 1/2 inch holes disposed on 1% inch centers, said holes or apertures being designated by the numeral `6.y It will be understood that the dimensions shell and in close engagement with the inner walls thereof is a thinner sheet metal plate of, for example, 20 gauge. This plate is'designated by the numeral 7 and is provided with a plurality of 1/8 inch holes arranged, for i example, on 1A: inch centers. The plate 7 is placed directly a ainst the inner wall of the shell 5 andicon orms to the coniguration thereof. Then, placed against the inner wall of the plate 47 is a fine wire screen consisting preferably of 200v mesh Monel metal cloth, which is designated by the numeral 8. The

,plate 7 and the screen material 8 are held firmly and rigidly within the shell 5 by suitable fastening elements to prevent loss of position. The shell 5. or the screen element as a Whole is stationarily mounted in any suitable way within the casing 1.

' Entering the top'of the casingis an inlet lvapor line 9 through which oil vapors at a temperature of, for example, 500 or 600 de-- grecs JF., together with the clay `treating son of the materials enter the screen element. Due to the fine interstices of the screen 8 and the arrangement of the openings in the shell and the plate 7 the oil vapors ,are permitted to pass through the walls of the screen element and to enter the vapor space 10 within the casing 1 around the element 4.' The clay treating material, however, because of its greater body or the size of its particles cannot pass through the walls of the perforate screen unit but is confined within the screen unit, permitting, therefore, the oil vapors to enter the space 10 substantially free of the solid treatmg'materials.

Due to the fact that the oil vapors are at a relatively elevated temperature the clay is maintained in a substantiall dry-condition and does not adhere appreciably to the in- A ner walls of the screen element, but falls by' gravity into the clay receivinv space 11 provided at the bottom of the screen element. This action is facilitated by readouble cone formation of J 'the screen element. It will be observed that the upper portion of the screen element is of frusto-conical form having downwardly and outwardly sloping walls. Due to this inclination of the walls of the upper 'portion ofthe screen element the clay tends -to drop Vfrom the walls of the screen element into the space 11. If the temperature of the oil vapors isv sutliciently low so that there is some con-4 densation or liquefaction of the higher boiling compounds, then the cla maybe in a somewhat moist condition an would tend to adhere to a greater extent to the walls of the screen unit. If such a condition exists the interior of the screen unit may be provided with a rotatable scraper (not shown) to maintain the walls of the screen unit suiiciently pervious for the passage of the oil va ors" therethrough. `However, by the action o the higher vapor temperatures the resultant dryI condition of the clay permits the latter to fall readily to the bottom ofthe screen unit. The bottom of the unit is provided with a clay A outlet pipe 12 b which the clay may be removed from the ottom of the filler fortreatment or storage purposes.

The clay free oil va ors which enter the space 10 are removed rom the casing 1 by way of an outlet pipe 13, arranged near the bottom of the casing and may be lead to suitable fractionating and condensing apparatus (not shown). If there is anyv condensation of the 4oil vapors within the space 10,

v such condensate may be removed by way of the small pipe line 14, which is arranged independently of the vapor outlet 13.

' In view of the foregoing it will be seen that the' present invention provides simple yet eilicient apparatus for effecting theremoval of clay treating materials or other solids from fluids such as heated oil vapor.

The apparatus has the advantage of perof the "screen unit, the vapors may be transferred to a companion screen unit, thus eliminating from the system the ineiiicient unit in order that the latter' may be cleaned of the obstructing materials and rendered suitable for effective future service. The cleaning of a unit may be effected -by passing therethrough superheated steam or by any other convenient method desired. The present invention eliminates the employment of expensive and slowly operating filter presses which have been largely used heretofore to remove the treating materials fromlliquid oils. Thus in prior practice it has been customary to fractionate the oil vapors to provide' for the separation ofthe desirable and undesirable fractions, the undesirable fractions which contained .the clay havin been reduced to liquid form, were then orced through the screens of a filter press. This involves the use of complicated apparatus and produces a relatively slow and costly method.

n the present invention the lter o rates with the oil in the vapor phase whic constitutes the outstanding differences over prior methods of clay recove The advantages of the vapor phase metho reside chiely'in the simplicity of the apparatus, continuousl oproo.

eration, effective clay removal and economy in operation.

While I have described specifically one of lthe preferred forms of myimproved filter,

nevertheless, it will be understood that the invention is not limited in its scope to' the specific construction as set forth but may be i embodied in and vcarried out by other widely diierent, in a structural sense, forms of l apparatus.

What is claimed is: 1. In a filter of the class described, a casing ,formed to include a substantially closed chamber, a rigid walled screen unit of' conical form arranged withinsaid chamber, said unit being formed to include a perforateA outer metallic shell, aperforate plate arranged in enga ment with the inner walls of said shell, a ne wire mesh screen en ging with the inner surface of said p ate, means for introducing commin led oil vapor and finely divided clay into said screenv unit to permit of the passage of the oil vapor through 'the perforate walls of the screen unit into said chamber, said perforate walls serving to obstruct the passage of the clay therethrough, a'vapor outlet leading from said chamber and aclay outlet leading from the interir of the scree'nunit.

2. In apparatus for separating solids from 13? shell and in contact therewith, means forl introducing a substantially vaporized li uid commingled with a nely divided solid into the interior of said screen unit in order that the vaporized liquid alone may pass through the interstices and perforations of the wall forming members of the screen unit, and means for removing the separated solids from the interior of the screen unit yand the separated vapors from the chamber surrounding the screen unit.

In testimony whereof I aix my si ature.

OLIVER WEND LN.

a rigid 

